Any loss of balance means you have to go to the locker room. … He went down right after getting blasted in the head. … You have to assume concussion and that should be interpreted by loss of balance.

Nowinski is on the NFLPA’s Mackey-White TBI Research Committee, a group that looks at player safety.

For what it’s worth, another expert, Dr. Robert Cantu, said he’s not sure if Newton needed to go to the locker room.

The NFL changed its protocol guidelines after several high-profile incidents where concussion policy was not followed. One of those teams, the Seattle Seahawks, was eventually fined $100,000 by the league for failing to follow the rules.